Thank You, Kathryn
by Diane Klepper
Summary: Kathryn Janeway gets a special visitor her first day on her new job.


Thank You, Kathyrn  
  
By Diane Klepper  
(Author's Note: Kathryn's first day in her new job brings an unexpected visitor.)  
Admiral Kathryn Janeway walked into her new office and smiled. She couldn't believe the size of her office. It was twice the size of her ready room on Voyager. She put the box she was carrying on the desk and walked to the wall where a mirror hung. She looked I the mirror and smiled at the new pip on her uniform collar. Kathryn didn't really like the new Starfleet issue uniforms but she figured that she just needed time to get use to it. She should of guessed that Starfleet would of changed the uniform again during the time Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant. But after wearing the same uniform design for seven years her new uniform felt strange, almost alien to her.  
  
She walked over to her desk and started taking out the stuff from the box. She took out a coffee cup and two plants that she recovered from the aeroponics bay on Voyager and put them by her window. She looked out her window and saw the Golden Gate Bridge. There were times during the last seven months where she woke up still thinking she was on Voyager. The first month after they returned was rough. After the first week of welcome home parties she had to defend her decisions to give the Maquis crewmembers positions of power on her ship. There were many Starfleet officials who wanted the Maquis to pay for their crimes, but luckily with Admiral Paris by her side she was able to convince Starfleet that she would of never gotten home without the help of the Maquis. All the Maquis were offered Starfleet commissions and most of them accepted them.  
  
Tom Paris was a different story. After hearing about the incident with the Moneans some of the Admirals wanted Tom to be given a dishonorable discharge and sent back to prison. But when Janeway, Chakotay, and Tuvok threatened to resign if Tom wasn't pardoned and given a commission Starfleet gave in. Captain Janeway was considered a legend up their with Archer, April, Kirk, Spock and Picard. Starfleet couldn't let Janeway resign so they agreed to pardon Tom and they offered him a full lieutenant's rank and a job teaching at the Academy.  
  
Janeway took a photograph out of the box. It was a picture taken of her and her senior staff on Ancestor's Day. Kathryn looked at the picture and frowned. Her crew on Voyager, were more than just her crew, their years together had turned her crew into a family and she missed them greatly. Harry Kim had just shipped out last week on his new assignment as lieutenant on the Constitution. Tuvok was still on Vulcan recovering from his illness. Chakotay had accepted a job teaching archeology at the academy and Seven was taking courses at Starfleet academy to get her commission. B'Elanna Torres was planning on teaching engineering at the Academy but she was still busy helping Starfleet engineers figure out how to implement some of the changes she made on Voyagers engines over the last seven years. She took out another photograph of Miral.  
  
Tom and B'Elanna sent her the picture last week. The smiling face of her seven- month old goddaughter always brought joy to Janeway's heart. Even after all these years she still found it hard to believe that a rebellious ex-con Admiral's son and an angry half Klingon Maquis woman would find love in the Delta Quadrant. Even though she faced many hardships in her years in the Delta Quadrant Kathryn Janeway felt joy as she watched both Tom and B'Elanna grow as both human beings and Starfleet officers.  
  
Kathryn Janeway put the box on the floor and then walked over to her replicator and said. "Coffee.Black." The coffee appeared and Janeway smiled. "I see you are enjoying the fact that you don't have to ration your coffee anymore."  
  
Janeway turned to her door and smiled when she saw who was standing by her door. "If you had to drink Neelix's coffee substitute for seven years you would indulge too."  
  
Admiral Owen Paris smiled at the newest Starfleet Admiral. "According to Tom eating Neelix's cooking was one of the crews biggest challenges in the Delta Quadrant."  
  
Kathryn Janeway smiled. "Let's just say some of his recipes were quite interesting. "Owen Paris looked at Janeway's desk and picked up the picture of Miral and smiled. "I have the same picture on my desk. " Smirking Owen said, "I don't mean to sound like a bragging grandfather but Miral trying to walk." Janeway beamed, "Already..I guess it must be the Klingon blood in her."  
  
"I like to think some of it is the Paris blood."  
  
"I'm sure it is."  
  
"Tom was the same way. He couldn't wait until he could walk. He started walking at ten months. By eleven months he was running all around the house. We had to put gates by the front door and back door to keep him from running out of the house."  
  
Smiling Janeway said, "That sounds like Tom. He always seems to be on the go. Between his helm duties and his sickbay shifts he always found time to create a new holodeck adventure for the crew."  
  
Owen gave her a small frown. "Kathryn when you first told me you wanted to take Tom on Voyager with you when you were looking for the Maquis ship I had a lot of reservations."  
  
Smiling Janeway said, "When I first went to see Tom at the Penal Colony I almost didn't take him with me. He seemed so angry and cynical.I just wanted him to point Voyager in the right direction and then after the Maquis were captured I was going to send him back to New Zealand to finish his sentence. "Janeway gave him a little smirk, "As you know that didn't go as planned." Owen nodded, "The Caretaker changed everything."  
  
"It did. I know Tom has made a lot of mistakes in the past but he has changed. He is no longer the irresponsible young man you remember." Looking Owen Paris in the eye Janeway said, "I think one of the things I enjoyed the most about those seven years in the Delta Quadrant is watching Tom mature into a man and an officer any father would be proud of."  
  
"I am proud of my son.It's funny since Tom was a little boy I saw all this potential in him to become a great officer."  
  
"Admiral."  
  
Owen smiled, "Kathryn I know I pushed him too hard.I treated him more like a cadet then a son. But I never meant to hurt my boy.I wanted the best for Tom." Smling Kathryn Janeway said, "I remember the first time we met. I asked you to be my adviser and on your desk you had photographs of Tom and his sisters. The way you talked about Tom, I could tell how proud you were of him." "Yes but I never told Tom I was proud of him. I spent so much time telling Tom what he did wrong, I never told him what he did right."  
  
Janeway gave him an amused smile. "My father was the same way. Before my father died I told him that I was jealous of Tom because you were always bragging about him. My father told me that he bragged about me more then you ever bragged about Tom."  
  
Owen laughed, "He did. Edward always said that his Kathryn was destined for greatness." Owen took Kathryn's right hand and squeezed it affectionately. "He was right. I don't think any other Captain in Starfleet could of taken just two diverse crews and make it one. .When we first received word that Voyager was lost in the Delta Quadrant. We were all shocked. Everyone in Starfleet assumed that Voyager and its crew were destroyed in the Badlands." Smiling Janeway said, "I had a good crew behind me."  
  
Owen nodded and let go of Janeway's hand. He stood up and said, "I came to invite you to lunch. It's a Starfleet tradition for another Admiral to take a new Admiral to lunch on their first day of work."  
  
Smiling Janeway said, "I'll be honored to have lunch with you but I thought Admiral Noguci was taking me to lunch today."  
  
"She was but Noguci owed me a favor and I asked to be the one that takes you to lunch."  
  
Perplexed Janeway asked, "Why did you go to all that trouble.We could of have lunch on another day."  
  
"I had to tell you something and I have been putting it off for the last seven months."  
  
"What did you want to tell me?"  
  
"I want to thank you Kathryn.Thank you for bringing my boy home.I hate to admit it but I gave up on Tom. After he was kicked out of Starfleet and send to prison I told Tom that I no longer had a son."  
  
"You didn't mean that."  
  
"I was so angry at Thomas. I gave him every opportunity I could and he just destroyed his career and his about lying about Caldik Prime. Then he joined the Maquis and he go caught by Starfleet on his first mission.I even thought he messed up on purpose to embarrass me."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
Owen Paris nodded. "I know. I was just so angry at Tom.I couldn't think straight. After Voyager disappeared I blamed myself for Tom's death. I thought that if I didn't approve of his release from New Zealand.my boy would still be alive and we would still have a chance to work out our differences. I missed my boy so much.Even after I found out that Voyager was on its way home I never thought I would live to see my son again.let alone meet my daughter-in-law and granddaughter."  
  
Janeway smiled at her mentor. "When Voyager was first lost I gave Tom back his commission and told him that he earned it. Tom was so shocked he was speechless."  
  
Smiling Owen said, "Tom speechless.that's unusual."  
  
Janeway suppressed a laugh and then she continued. "I told Tom that I'm only sorry that you wouldn't know.Tom then said that you would know when we got back.Tom wanted you to know he turned around his life."  
  
Smirking Owen said, "Thank you telling me that.Oh by the way Maggie wants you to come over for dinner next Friday.Tom and B'Elanna would love to see you and I know Miral misses her godmother."  
  
"I would love to come.Besides, I warned Tom that I would be checking up on my goddaughter."  
  
Owen smiled and said, "Good.I'll pick you up at twelve for lunch and I tell Maggie you will be coming for dinner.I'll see you later Kathryn."  
  
Kathryn watched Owen Paris walk out the door of her office. She picked up the photograph of Miral and smiled, "Miral you and the rest of the Voyager crew will always be part of my family.That's a promise I intend to keep." 


End file.
